413.21—What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application proposing research and development activities?

The Secretary uses the following selection criteria in evaluating each research and development application:

(a) Program factors. (20 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which each of the required research and development activities described in § 413.3(a)(2) will be of high quality and effective.

(b) Plan of operation. (35 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the quality of the plan of operation for the proposed center, including—

(1) The applicant's plan for managing the National Center;

(2) The procedures the applicant will use to implement the National Center particularly with regard to the public or private nonprofit institution of higher education with which it is associated and, in the case of a consortium, with the other member institutions of the consortium;

(3) The applicant's plan for managing the National Center's activities and personnel, including—

(i) Quality control procedures for its activities;

(ii) Procedures for assuring compliance with timelines;

(iii) Coordination procedures for communicating among staff, subcontractors, members of the consortium, if any, and the Department of Education;

(iv) Procedures for ensuring that adequate progress is being made toward achieving the goals of the grantee by subcontractors, and members of a consortium; and

(v) Procedures for ensuring that adequate budget, accounting, and recordkeeping procedures will be used;

(4) The quality of the applicant's detailed plans for year one of the National Center, including—

(i) Methodology and plan of operation;

(ii) Tasks and timelines;

(iii) Deliverables; and

(iv) Dissemination plans for each project; and

(5) The quality of the applicant's general plans for developing appropriate, coherent, and effective vocational education research and development activities, or dissemination and training activities, or both, for years two through five.

(c) Key personnel. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the qualifications of the key personnel the applicant plans to use for the National Center, including—

(1) The extent to which the Director of the National Center has—

(i) Appropriate professional qualifications, relevant project management experience, and administrative skills;

(ii) A commitment to work full-time at the National Center;

(iii) A clear commitment to the goals of the project; and

(iv) Sufficient authority to effectively manage the activities of the National Center;

(2) How the applicant, as part of its nondiscriminatory employment practices, will ensure that its personnel are selected for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability; and

(3) The extent to which other key personnel to be used for the National Center—

(i) Have experience and training in project management and in fields related to the proposed activities they will be carrying out; and

(ii) Will commit sufficient time to the project.

(d) Vocational education experience. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which the applicant understands the state of knowledge and practice related to vocational education, including—

(1) The applicant's experience in conducting applied research and development activities, dissemination and training activities, or both, in the field of vocational education of the type described in § 413.3 ;

(2) The applicant's capacity for conducting applied research and development activities, dissemination and training activities, or both, in the field of vocational education of the type described in § 413.3; and

(3) How the activities of the National Center will contribute to the advancement of relevant theory and practice in vocational education.

(e) Budget and cost effectiveness. (10 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which—

(1) The Center has an adequate budget that is cost effective;

(2) The budget is adequate to support the Center's activities; and

(3) Costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives of the Center.

(f) Coordination activities. (5 points) The Secretary reviews each application to determine the extent to which there is an effective plan for the coordination of activities described in § 413.3 (a) and (b), and whether these activities are carried out between two institutions or within one institution.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under Control No. 1830-0013)

Code of Federal Regulations

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 2404 )

CFR

413.21—What selection criteria does the Secretary use to evaluate an application proposing research and development activities?

Code of Federal Regulations